Mar 24, Kathmandu- In Jhapa, 700 new tuberculosis patients have been found till Falgun of the current fiscal year. According to Birendra Das, TB focal person of the Health Office, Jhapa, 25 patients have died during that period. According to the office, the number of deaths due to tuberculosis was 48 in the last fiscal year.

According to the office, 471 people have been diagnosed with tuberculosis in their lungs, 162 people have tuberculosis outside the lungs, eight people have both TB and HIV, and 16 people have drug-resistant tuberculosis (DRTB).

In Jhapa, 992 new tuberculosis patients were found in the fiscal year 2077/78, 1,186 in the fiscal year 2078/79, 1,165 in the fiscal year 2079/80, and 1,265 in the fiscal year 2080/81.

Along with the Health Office Jhapa, there are 79 health institutions under 15 local levels providing free treatment for tuberculosis, 22 microscopic centers for free sputum testing, three gene expert centers, and four sub-DR centers for the treatment of DRTB patients.

An incentive of Rs. 500 per month has been given to underprivileged patients who complete the medication period. Under the federal program, a tuberculosis-free campaign is also being run in three municipalities of Jhapa, Shivasatakshi, Birtamod, and Mechinagar municipalities.

World Tuberculosis Day is being celebrated across the country today with the slogan ‘Yes, we can end tuberculosis. Commitment to investment and assurance of service delivery are the need of the day.’ The government’s goal is to declare Nepal tuberculosis-free by 2050.